ASHRAE 62.2 Proposal to Ban Vent-Free Appliances in Compliant Homes

The ASHRAE 62.2 Committee has sent Addendum ‘j’ out for public review and comment. Addendum ‘j’ would

ban all unvented room heaters in ASHRAE-compliant homes. During the recently closed comment period, the committee received 54 comments on Addendum ‘j’ (with only one comment in support of the addendum). One of the frequently raised concerns of opponents of Addendum ‘j’ was that the committee has relied upon an unpublished white paper as justification for the ban, but the paper has not been shared outside of the committee. At the December 2nd meeting of the 62.2 Committee, many of the commentators expressed their concerns with the proposal. There was some committee support for a modified counter-proposal that would allow the installation of unvented room heaters if they were thermostatically controlled. However, the committee ultimately chose to continue without changes to Addendum ‘j’ and the proposed ban of these appliances. The committee will soon send out its official responses to commentators. The addendum still needs to be approved by the Standards Committee and the ASHRAE Board before being published. HPBA staff, members, and other commentators will continue to raise procedural defects with the appropriate bodies within ASHRAE. For more information on the issue, please contact Eric Adair.